Mail-holding device.



H. F. MUELLER. MAIL HOLDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1912.

1,0 97,1 84. I Patented May 19, 1914.

q Vi/hmaoaw I nnrrnn s rnirns ATENT ornicn.

HENRY F. MUELLER, OF ALTENBURG, MISSOURI.

MAIL-HOLDING DEVICE.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. MUELLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Altenburg, in the county of Perry and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-HoldingDevices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in mail holdingdevices.

The object of my invention is to provide a device adapted to besuspended upon the inside of the usual or any preferred form of mail boxto hold the letters or packages placed in said device.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter made clearly apparentin the specification and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown the preferred form which myinvention may take.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my inventionsecured in place in a mail box. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing my devicedetached. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, as seen on line 33, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several figures, 6 is a mail box,which has its forward side open and adapted to be normally closed bymeans of a door 7.

My improved mail holding device is adapted to be suspended from theupper end of a box 6 by means of a loop 8, which is secured to the upperend of the box in any preferred manner.

My device is preferably formed of a single strip of spring metal and isbent at its center to form a loop 9 and the ends 10 and 11 of said stripare extended converging toward one another part way and contacting forthe balance of their lengths and the extreme ends bent back upon thestrip to form finger receiving loops 12 by means of which the ends ofthe device may be pulled apart when it is desired to insert lettersbetween them. The device is so formed that the ends of the strip presstightly against each other so that when Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 21, 1912.

Patented May 19, 1914. Serial No. 698,785.

an object such as a letter or package is placed between them, it will beheld in place. The sides of the contacting portions of the ends of mydevice are bent outwardly, as clearly tion the displacement of saidspring from the loop in either direction will be effectually prevented.

My invention is particularly desirable for use in mail boxes to be usedupon rural routes, where the same box is employed for sending andreceiving letters. The owner of the box, when sending letters, mayseparate the ends of the device by means of the finger loops 12 andinsert his letter or letters therebetween, or may force the letterstherebetween without touching the device with his hand. The device willhold the letters suspended and, when the carrier opens the box, it isonly necessary for him to catch the letter or letters and pull them frombetween said ends. Any mail which he desires to deliver will be thrownin the box on the bottom. Should the person to whom the letters areaddressed not take the same from the box until the carriers second trip,the carrier would not be confused and have to look over the addresses ofthe letters to see if the same were to be taken by him, as he would knowthat the mail to be taken by him would be suspended and not left uponthe floor of the box. By bending the sides of the engaging portion ofthe device outwardly, as shown at 16, there will be no danger of tearingthe envelops or stripping off or mutilating the stamps thereon.

What I claim as new is:

A holding device consisting of a resilient metal strip bent in the formof a loop with gripping arms extending therefrom, converging toward eachother for a portion of their length and contacting with each other neartheir ends, and a helical spring in said 100p having its respective endsextended name to this specification in the presence of against the innerfaces of the arms and the two subscribmg witnesses. terminals thereofbent 1n opposite dlrectlons around the opposite side edges of the armsto HENRY MUELLER 5 hold the spring against displacement from Witnesses:

either end of the loop. EDW. J. FISCHER,

In testimony whereof I have signed my LEO I-I. LOTTES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G.

